In pursuit of a glorious thee.

For the second time, we are collecting recyclable materials and will be exchanging them for school supplies to be given to school kids in need. Help us out by donating your junk. We are accepting the following recyclable materials:

Our volunteers will be at the parking lot of the Dr. Juan dela Cruz Medical Specialists’ Clinic at 480 Boni Ave., Brgy. New Zaniga, Mandaluyong City (in front of Shell gas station) on April 22 to receive donations. You may drop by and bring your recyclables anytime between 10AM to 3PM. We will be announcing the venue of other drop-off points, on the succeeding weekends.

We can also arrange for a meet-up or a pick-up at a location and time more convenient for you. Please send as a message through e-mail (pisay96@gmail.com) or mobile (09204469728). You may also contact anyone from Pisay 96 to set a schedule.

We can also collect recyclables from your offices. If you’re interested, let us know and we will send a letter to whoever’s in charge, asking for your office’s used paper and other junk.

It’s been fifteen years since I graduated from high school. Yes it’s been that long. Back then, I was part of a group of kids who were deemed more mature than the average high school graduate. Mostly because we graduated from the Philippine Science High School, and for four years, we were treated like no ordinary high school students. You’d think it would have applied just to our intellect. But studying in that place involved your emotions as well.

It wasn’t really the huge workload. Sure we had around double or triple the academic expectations of a regular high school student. But it came with the territory, and passing the entrance exams and interview more or less meant you were ready for it, and on somewhat equal terms, that you wanted it. Also, you wouldn’t have qualified if it weren’t for your grades in elementary, which probably required you to work your little butt off to achieve. Pisay, however which way you look at it, was really just a collection of nerds. Although you wouldn’t necessarily come to that conclusion once you really got to see and know the people.

After all, you’d find people involving themselves with different extra-curricular activities. There were a lot of young actors, writers, artists, rockers, jocks and politicians around. Almost everyone was busy doing one thing or another. And yet they all still found it in themselves to read their books, do their homework, and show up to class everyday. Of course there were some days that you’d go and miss one class (or maybe even two). You would sometimes find it easier to hang out with your friends, play ball on the court, or jam with your band than to do the social science assignment or read the biology text. But in the end, you’d still always get back to whatever it was that you had to do for you to pass your subjects.

You would have found a lot of people in all kinds of relationships and groups: boy/girlfriends, barkadas, clubs, teams, bands, casts, officers, and whatever else type of relationship or group that you could find. True, you could have gotten by as a loner. But Pisay was high school, and in high school, you learned how to make friends. Friends who shared the same interest. Friends who would play guitar while you sang along. Friends who would listen to you while you told them another one of your stories. And most importantly, friends who would let you cry on their shoulder, just like you’d let them cry on yours. You learned more than just how to make friends. You learned how to strengthen your relationships, and make them last. And in the end, that was one of the important things that got you through high school.

Fifteen years ago, I stood on the stage of our gymnasium with my diploma, which represented all the studying that I had done for 4 long years, clutched in one hand and my yearbook, which represented the wonderful group of people that I had come to know as friends during those 4 short years, in the other. Both those things represented what I had achieved at that point in time, and it would help me get through the new challenges that would face me in college, and more importantly, for the rest of my life.

So I guess it’s not surprising that most of the friends I have right now, I’ve had ever since high school. We may have grown older, but the fact remains — we’re still the same kids sitting in the front lobby, singing E-heads songs, and waiting for the dismissal bell to ring…

In behalf of all the streetchildren who attended and very much enjoyed the 4th Annual Pisay 96 Christmas Party for Streetkids held last December 11 in UP Diliman, we would like to thank you once again for your continued participation and very generous support to Pisay 96 and our projects.

The activity is an annual Christmas tradition for children in the UP Diliman and adjacent areas who are not privileged enough to have the means to celebrate the holidays. This year, we gathered 50 children from the Diliman area for one afternoon of fun, food, games, and prizes, in celebration of the holiday season.

4th Annual Pisay 96 Party for Streetkids

Of course the activity would not have been possible without your help. For this year’s party, our special thanks go to the following:

Pamy Abella for help with most of the pre-party preparations, including shopping for party supplies, wrapping gifts, and going around the Diliman campus to invite kids to the party

Ella Marie Monta for the spaghetti & hotdogs, Jeff Galan for the famous Dip’n Chk’n fried chicken, Odette Claridad for the cake, Kathy Villegas for the doughnuts, Eva Redillas (and roommate) for the assorted cupcakes and cookies, and Peng Manlapaz for the ice (sorry pala for the short notice) :D

Philippine Science High School scholars received premier education in the sciences to help in the nation’s development. Since its 10th jubilee anniversary in 2006, the Philippine Science High School Class of 1996 (Pisay 96) has been conducting socio-civic projects in communities across the country, as a sign of gratitude and return to the nation. The annual Christmas party for streetchildren is one of several projects that the group regularly conducts.

To know more about other Pisay 96 projects and activities, please visit www.pisay96.com or send an e-mail to pisay96@gmail.com.

Pisay 96 will be having its 4th annual Christmas Party for Streetchildren on December 11, 2010 and is once again asking for your support. If you would like volunteer or make a donation, please send an e-mail to pisay96@gmail.com or text +63 920.4469728.

pisay is a special place where independence, curiosity and discovery are nurtured and questions are encouraged. it is also a place where talent is overflowing. pisay has taught me to constantly look for answers to questions and also to find my own way of answering it. if there is one thing that i always remember about pisay is the teachers always telling you that “there are many ways to kill the cat”.

Pisay 96 launches “When I Grow Up,” a series of talks by professionals with careers in the Sciences. Through this project, we hope to encourage the younger generation to pursue science-based careers by cultivating interest in the field through fun and interactive talks. We plan to invite successful fellow alumni, colleagues, and friends to talk about their jobs, answer questions, and conduct basic science lessons that will engage the participating school children.

Join us today, 3 PM at D’ Cape Mile. Engr. Jo Santiago-Bond (and her husband Mr. Bond), from the National Aeronautic and Space Administration, will be giving a short talk, answering your and (your kids’) questions, and basically telling us what it’s like to be a rocket scientist.

Pasukan na bukas. With your support, 85 school children from the SOS Children’s Village in Bataan will be going to school tomorrow not only with brand new pens, papers, and notebooks but more importantly, with hope, inspiration, and the encouragement to realize their potentials and become productive members of society.

In behalf of the children of SOS Village—Bataan, we would like to thank you all for your generous assistance which largely contributed to the success of this project. Now that we’ve seen it is possible, Pisay ’96 plans on doing this project for the succeeding school years and reach out to more school children in other areas of the country. We look forward to your continuous support.

Maraming salamat po.

Collection

A few weeks before the school year started, Pisay ’96 posted announcements asking for donations of recyclable and junk materials. For two consecutive weekends, D’ Cape Mile restaurant in Mo. Ignacia Avenue, Quezon City, was designated a drop–off point where people who wanted to help came and brought their donations. In addition, volunteers also went around Quezon City and San Juan to pick–up donations from friends and supporters who have heard about the project.

The collected recyclables were sold to junk shops and the profits were used to buy notebooks, pens, pad papers, and other school supplies. Modest back–to–school kits were assembled with their contents tailored to fit the students’ specific grade levels.

Turn Over

On June 12, 2010, the weekend before school started, Pisay ’96 volunteers went to Mariveles, Bataan to personally turn over the school supplies to the children of the village. The SOS Village in Bataan houses 93 children from all over Central Luzon, 85 of whom go to school in the nearby barangay. All 85 schoolkids, with grade levels ranging from pre–school to 3rd year high school, were provided with materials to help them get ready for the start of the school year.

About SOS Children’s Villages

SOS Villages house orphaned, neglected, and abandoned children. They provide long–term family–based care and education to children in extreme difficult circumstances, giving them inspiration, support, and encouragement they need to be able to take their place in society.

The first SOS Children’s Village in the Philippines was established in Lipa City in 1963. To date there are a total of 8 Children’s Villages in cities and provinces across the country.

To know more about SOS Children’s Villages or to find out how you can help, please visit www.sosphilippines.org.

About Pisay ’96

Philippine Science High School scholars received premier education in the sciences to help in the nation’s development. Since its 10th jubilee anniversary in 2006, the Philippine Science High School Class of 1996 (Pisay ’96) has been conducting socio–civic projects in communities across the country, as a sign of gratitude and return to the nation.

To know more about other Pisay ’96 projects and activities, please send an e-mail to pisay96@gmail.com.

For the rest of May and the first week of June, we will be collecting recyclables and exchanging them for school supplies to give to schoolchildren in underpriviledged communities, just in time for the start of the new school year.

This Saturday, our volunteers will be at D’ Cape Mile Bar and Restaurant in Mo. Ignacia Ave. from 10AM to 2PM to receive your donations. We can also arrange for a meet-up or a pick-up at a location and time more convenient for you. Please send as a message through e-mail (pisay96@gmail.com) or mobile (09204469728).

You may donate any of the following:

Scrap paper, old newspaper, carton boxes or cardboard scraps

Old notebooks and books

Empty PET bottles, plastic cups, scrap plastic

Glass bottles, beer, softdrink, catsup bottles

Aluminum and tin cans, aluminum bottle caps, GI sheets, scrap metal

Empty ink cartridges

Junk electrical appliances

Used batteries

Other recyclable materials

We will be posting more announcements and other drop-off venues; we’ll keep you updated.